Pressure controlling and relief valve for hot-water-circulating systems.



G. L. BOTTUM. PRESSURE GONTROLLING AND RELIEF VALVE FOR HOT WATERGIRGULATING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZO, 1911.

Patented Oct. 29,1912.

ing drawings, forming a pansion tank of a hot water system, and adaptedfor regulating the prescnoncn L. BOTTUM, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

rnnssvan CONTROLLING AND RELIEF VALVE FOR HOT-WATER-GIRCUIIATINGSYSTEMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. Bo'r'rUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of 5 Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Imsure in such system, independently of theelevation of the tank.

The invention consists in the elements and features'of constructionshown and deof Fig. 1.

scribed, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawmgs:-F1gure 1 is an axial section of a device embodying thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is asection. taken on the line 22 Fig. 3 is a section taken onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4- ofFig. 1. p I

The device shown in the drawings comprises a valve body or shell, A,which contains a valve chamber and has an inlet at the lower end and anoutlet at the upper end, and is provided with the connections at theopposite ends for inlet and outlet, respectively, the lower end beingthe inlet and designed to be connected with the hot water circulatingsystem, the upper end being the outlet and designed for connection withthe expansion tank, (not shown).

The inlet, A is encompassed by a trumpet-shaped valve seat,a that is, avalve seat which is funnel-shaped and inwardly and upwardly convex inradial section. In the valve chamber there is positioned a valve member,B, proportioned so as to 'aflord water-waypast it from end to end'withinthe valve chamber. As illustrated, this valve chamber comprises acylindrical shell having a valve terminalor seating element, 0, of thevalve, fixed in its lower end, said valve terminal being spheroidal inform for seating in the trumpet-shaped valve seat described. The valvemember comprises a lower-chamber, B and an upper chamber, B, partiallyseparated by a web or bridge, B, and having communication with eachSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 20,

Patented Oct. 29, 19121,

1911. Serial No. 639,571.

other past said bridge at 6 The valve terminal, C, is axially aperturedfor communication through it from the inlet, A to the chambers, B and BThe bridge B, has a passage at b, which opens at both ends into thewater-way within the shell, while at the middle said passage opensupwardly through the bridge, B, into the upper chamber, B said lastmentioned opening being encompassed by a valve seat, B in which islodged a clownwardly seating check valve,

shown in the drawings.

For convenience of assembling the parts and to afford a check for thevalve ball, I), the upper end of the valve member is formed'by acap-plug, E, whose annular threaded flange, E overhangs the annularvalve seat, B and cooperates with the latter for retaining the ballvalvewithin range of the seat. The valve member, B, is without contact uponor guidance by the shell, but is yieldingly held toward its seat by aspring, F, Whose lower end bears upon the top of the valve member andwhose upper end presses the valve shell. This stop device comprisesacollar, G, which is centrally positioned in the valve shell by means ofinwardly projecting bosses, B, on the shell which are threaded on theirinner faces so that the collar can be screwed into them, leavingwater-ways, b between them past the collar. The central opening of thecollar is threaded and receives a threaded bolt, H,

below the threaded portion to form a shoulder for engaging with a washeror annular follower, K, which is of suitable diameter to seat upon theupper end of the spring, F, and which is peripherally rabbeted to seatand center the upper coil of the spring. A jam nut, L, is provided onthe bolt, H, above the collar and the bolt has its head slotted 'orotherwise adapted for rotation at will to force the follower down or upfor increasing or diminishing the tension of the spring, the force ofwhich resists the unseating' oi the valve terminal, C.

In order to afford a check to, limit the upward or unseating movementofthe valve member, B, the collar, G, isextended downward, the extensionbeing preferably in the form of a hollow cylinder, G outside of thespring and out of contact therewith.

D, the same being preferably a ball, as.

which is reduced in diameter at its lower end against a stop devicewhich is mounted on axial alinement therewiththat it will not device isscrewed, and thence on up readily center itself upon the seat.

Avoidance of sticking of any of the valve parts is effected by makingthe valve terminal, G, of phosphor-bronze, the valve seat being ofbrass. The same precaution 1s taken with respect to the ball valve, D,which is phosphor-bronze and provided with a brass seat.

The operation of this valve will be understood by one familiar with.this class of devices. The tension of justed by the screw, H, so as tohold the valve on its seat against the maximum pressure which theconditions of the system require. This permits locating the valve at anypoint in the standpipe leading to the expansion tank and permitslocating the expansion tank at any height without regard to theelevation of the highest parts of the circulating system which the tankand valve serve; that is, it is not necessary to locate the tank higherthan the highest heating unit with which it communicates, as would bethe case in the absence of means for holding the valve with determinedpressure on its seat. The tension of the spring will be adjusted also soas to resist some predetermined amount of pressure which may result fromheating and expansion, thus in many situations making it a means ofcontrolling the temperature to which the water may be raised before thepressure will find relief in the expansion tank.

When the pressure exceeds that for which the spring is adjusted, thevalve member, B, is lifted and the water passes up in the shell aroundthe valve member and thence up through the water-ways, 6 between thethreaded projections, B to which the stop through the outlet connection.into the expansion tank. -Upon cooling of the system, it is necessarythat the water should return'to prevent a partial vacuum which wouldcause air to be drawn in or undesirable inward pressure to 'beexperienced at the various joints of the system, and otherinconveniences which are known to result from such partial vacuum. Suchreturn of the water is permitted by the described construction of thevalve member, B, the water passing from the water-way in the shelloutside the valve member in through the passage, t, of the bridge B uppast the .check valve, D, thence down by way of the passage, Z1 into thelower chamber of said the spring, F, is ad the valve member,

means? valve member and thence out through the axial aperture of thevalve terminal, C,-

through the inlet, A}, to the system.

The drawings show a convenient form of coupling for connecting theshell, A, with said fitting consisting of a re- M, and customary form ofan inle't and outlet therefor and a valve seat around the inlet, a valvemember positioned within such chamber out of contact therewith except atits seat, a. stop on the shell "and a spring reacting between the valvemember and the stop member to hold the former yieldingly on the seat,said valve member having upper and lower chambers which communicate witheach other and a hollow bridge which partially separates them,'thelowerchamber having communication through the valve terminal with thevalve inlet and the upper chamber having communication through thehollow bridge with the valve chamber of the shell around ing check valvein said upper chamber at the mouth of said last-mentioned passa e.

2. A pressure controlling and relief valve comprising a shell having avalve chamber; an inlet and outlet therefor, and an inwardly facingvalve seat around the inlet; a valve member within said chamber ofless,diaineter than the interior of the chamber and thereby affordingwaterway passage at all sides, said member having an axially positionedcavity opening through its end at the inlet opening of the shell, and abridge extending across said axial cavity positioned and proportioned toleave a waterway past it from its lower to its upper side, said bridgehaving a cavity extending through'it from end to end opening at bothends within the waterway of the shell around the valve member, saidbridge having an aperture in its upper side leading into the end to-endcavity and an upwardly facing valve seat about said aperture, and avalve Within the cavity of the valve member seating downwardly on saidseat.

3. In a pressure controlling and relief valve device, in combinationwith a valve chamber having an inlet opening, a valve member seating atsaid inlet opening and having upper and lower chambers and a bridgebetween them past which they communicate with each other, the lowerchamber-having communication through the valve terminal with the inletopening of the device, the. bridge having a passage leading from theupper chamber out through the side of the valve member; a check valve inand a downwardly seat-.

"ihg the movement of the check valve away Copies of this'patent may beobtained for In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand atChicago, Ill. this 17th day of 1 July 1911. i

the upper chamber controlling said passage, said valve member comprisinga removable cap which forms the top of the upper cham- I her and whichprotrudes thereinto for limit- GEORGE BOTTUM XVitnesses LUCY I. STONE,EDNA M. MACINTOSH.

from its seat, said (521p; having a downwardly opening cavity \VlllChaccommodat s said movement of the valve.

fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

